Carmody, Sommer win Chesco bench seats; Republicans sweep row offices

WEST CHESTER — In the race for two seats on the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, Republicans Patrick Carmody and Jeffrey Sommer finished ahead of Democrat Julia Malloy-Good.

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Carmody finished with 41,172 votes, followed by Sommer with 36,801 votes. Malloy-Good finished third with 34,884 votes.

All results are unofficial until certified by the Chester County Board of Elections.

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In other county elections, the county row offices were won by the Republican candidates on Tuesday. Norman MacQueen defeated Democrat Carmen Boyd for county controller. Republican Ann Duke won the office of treasurer over Democrat Nina Haslip. For clerk of courts, Republican Tisha Brown beat Democrat Robin Marcello. Finally, Republican Dr. Gordon Eck beat Democrat Dr. Howard Jones for coroner.

These offices oversee handling of criminal court documents, collect revenue from property taxes for the county, and supervise medical autopsies.

In addition to the row offices, voters were asked to vote yes or no on whether to retain four judges on the Common Pleas Court to new 10-year terms. Voters decided to retain all four.

The judges are Jacqueline Carroll Cody, in her second term; Edward Griffith and John Hall, both completing their first terms; and President Judge James P. MacElree II, completing his second full term on the bench.

Carmody, 57, of Westtown was a prosecutor for 30 years in the county District Attorney’s Office. He moved to Chester County in 1984 and graduated from Penn State University and the George Washington University School of Law in Washington D.C.

Sommer, 55, of Pocopson also moved to the county in 1984. During his career he was a civil trial litigator and municipal solicitor. He is a graduate of Lehigh University and received his law degree from Widener School of Law.

Malloy-Good, 61, of West Whiteland has lived in the county since 1982. She is currently a special master in the county’s Family Court and graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

A fourth candidate for the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Democrat Anthony Verwey, had been nominated in the primary to run, but withdrew from the race over the summer.